The federal law enforcement community is reaching out to citizens to help spot and report potential signs of terrorist activity in their communities.

And a locally produced video could become a national tool in getting people to join the fight against terrorism.

On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in town for the national police chiefs' convention, and Gov. Bill Ritter visited a local terrorism education center to watch the video, "Recognizing the 8 Signs of Terrorism," then met with dignitaries and the media.

"We are better prepared as a nation against terrorism when our citizens are better prepared," Napolitano said inside The Center for Empowered Living and Learning, or The Cell, a recently opened nonprofit center designed to teach citizens about combating terrorism. "The threat of terrorism could be anywhere in our country, from New York City to small towns in Arizona."

The video, narrated by former Broncos quarterback John Elway and 9News anchor Kim Christiansen, was produced by the Denver office of the FBI and the Colorado Information Analysis Center.

It was sponsored in part by local homebuilder and philanthropist Larry Mizel, whose Mizel Museum created The Cell. The Department of Homeland Security gave a $30,400 grant to the project.

With a nod to the late Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives who famously said, "All politics are local," Mizel introduced Ritter and Napolitano by noting that "all threats are local."

Ritter told the group, "Every one of us has the potential to make a difference in the war against terrorism. Any one of us can alert authorities to suspicious activities."

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Both Ritter and Napolitano declined to take questions about the recent arrest of Aurora resident Najibullah Zazi, citing the ongoing investigation. Ritter said he felt quite comfortable that local and state law enforcement officials worked well together until the case eventually became an interstate investigation.

The Cell, at 99 W. 12th Ave., near the Denver Art Museum addition, has displays about terrorism, attacks, tools and myths and facts. The center is open to the public.

Napolitano said The Cell has already become well-known among Washington's leaders. "When (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid visited The Cell, he stepped outside and called me. 'When you get to Denver, you must see The Cell,' he told me."

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